Sun. Nov 29th, 2020

Grace

The FCC rejects ZTE’s petition to stop designating it a “national security threat” – TechCrunch

By Grace 4 days ago

The Federal Communications Commission has rejected ZTE’s petition to remove its designation as a “national security threat.” This means that American companies will continue to be barred from using the FCC’s $8.3 billion Universal Service Fund to buy equipment and services from ZTE .

The Universal Service Fund includes subsidies to build telecommunication infrastructure across the United States, especially for low-income or high-cost areas, rural telehealth services, and schools and libraries. The FCC issued an order on June 30 banning U.S. companies from using the fund to buy technology from Huawei and ZTE, claiming that both companies have close ties with the Chinese Communist Party and military.

Many smaller carriers rely on Huawei and ZTE, two of the world’s biggest telecom equipment providers, for cost-efficient technology. After surveying carriers, the FCC estimated in September that replacing Huawei and ZTE equipment would cost more than $1.8 billion.

Under the Secure

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Quantum computing: Aliro wants to make quantum hardware more accessible for software developers and network engineers

By Grace 4 days ago

With Q.COMPUTE and Q.NETWORK, Aliro Quantum is using cloud tech to make it easy for software developers to run quantum programs and networking engineers to build quantum networks.

If you’re a developer who wants to write code for a quantum computer, how do you know which quantum architecture and by extension which company’s
quantum computer

is best suited for the problem you’re trying to solve? Likewise, if you’re interested in connecting quantum computers together across a quantum network, how do you pick the right hardware and network design?

Aliro Quantum, thinks the answer to both these questions is to use an abstraction layer.

On this episode of
Dynamic Developer

, I talk with Dr. Prineha Narang, Assistant Professor at the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University and CTO and co-founder Aliro Quantum about how the company is trying to make quantum more accessible

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Black Friday 2020 Deals on External Storage

By Grace 5 days ago

If you’re looking for a new external hard drive, flash drive, or memory card, Black Friday is the perfect time to shop for yourself or buy a gift for someone who needs a storage upgrade.

2020 is actually drawing to a close, believe it or not, and that means it’s time to start planning for the holidays. With COVID-19 still surging across the globe, many people are likely rethinking their end-of-the-year plans up to and including shopping in a brick-and-mortar for holiday gifts.

If you’re getting ready to shop for Black Friday deals online, look no further: Here are 10 great deals on external storage devices–and all of these deals are available now.

Disclaimer: Prices are subject to change, and quantities are limited. 





Samsung T7 Touch Portable SSD

Image: Amazon

This portable SSD from Samsung has a unique security feature that is ideal for anyone transporting sensitive files or

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Google-backed Chinese truck-hailing firm Manbang raises $1.7 billion – TechCrunch

By Grace 5 days ago

The Chinese Uber for trucks Manbang announced Tuesday that it has raised $1.7 billion in its latest funding round, two years after it hauled in $1.9 billion from investors including SoftBank Group and Alphabet Inc’s venture capital fund CapitalG.

The news came fresh off a Wall Street Journal report two weeks ago that Manbang was seeking $1 billion ahead of an initial public offering next year. The company declined to comment on the matter, though its CEO Zhang Hui said in May 2019 that the firm was “not in a rush” to go public.

Manbang said it achieved profitability this year. Its valuation was reportedly on course to reach $10 billion in 2018.

The company, which runs an app matching truck drivers and merchants transporting cargo and provides financial services to truckers, was formed from a merger between rivals Yunmanman and Huochebang in 2017. It was a time when China’s

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Best Holiday Gifts for Apple Fans in 2020

By Grace 6 days ago

If you’re shopping for just the right gift for the Apple lover in your life, search no further. You’ll find curated tech gifts in various price ranges, including the new iPad Air and a MacBook cover.

The 2020 holiday season will prove unusual and unique. For the first time in most everyone’s memory, few will be rushing to physical stores and malls to browse and enjoy holiday cheer. Instead, the year is likely to see record spending for online gifting, as the pandemic encourages everyone, regardless of habit and preference, to safely shop from home. Don’t despair, as you need not go it alone. Here are gift recommendations at a variety of price points for the Apple fan in your life that are sure to bring a smile this year.





Image: KIKR

Most every Apple user’s home now has a collection of Apple Watches, iPhones, iPads, AirPods/AirPod Pros and

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Future of Farming: Bluegrass agtech facility plants first tomatoes, expects produce to hit shelves in early 2021

By Grace 6 days ago

AppHarvest plans to use recycled rainwater on-site to sustainably grow more produce closer to US consumers.

Image: AppHarvest

On Thursday, agtech company AppHarvest announced that it had planted its first crop at the company’s sprawling 2.76 million-square-foot indoor farming complex in Morehead, Ky. The recently planted tomatoes are expected to hit store shelves in early 2021, according to AppHarvest. By doing so, the company takes a step closer toward ensuring food security in the region and more.

“Today is an important milestone for AppHarvest as we seek to build a more resilient American food system from within Appalachia,” said AppHarvest Founder and CEO Jonathan Webb in a press release. “Our team has built one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced indoor farms, which means AppHarvest’s tomatoes soon will be on store shelves and in American homes.”

SEE: TechRepublic Premium editorial calendar: IT policies, checklists, toolkits, and research for

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